SR Maunsell Coaches
|creator(s) = * Rev. W. Awdry, Britt Allcroft and David Mitton *Tenmille |gender=Females |country_of_origin = * Island of Sodor * England * Scotland * China |basis = Southern Railway Maunsell Coaches |vehicle = Rolling stock |wheels = 8 each |designer(s) = Southern Railway |builder(s) = Southern Railway |year_built = Between 1925 and 1936 |railway = * North Western Railway * Southern Railway * British Railways |owner(s) = * Sir Topham Hatt * British Railways }} The Southern Railway Maunsell coaches was the first design family of railway coaches built by Southern Railway (SR) in England. They are the most common type of bogie coaches used in the television series and are frequently used for the Express. Biography ''Thomas & Friends'' These coaches were once used for the Royal Train which transported Queen Elizabeth II. Henry was supposed to pull the train, but after an accident with some paint cans, Gordon was given the honour insteadSeries 4 "Paint Pots and Queens". Some red express coaches belong to British Railways and are pulled by Flying ScotsmanSeries 4 "Paint Pots and Queens". Personality Between the first and third series, the coaches were sentient despite not having faces. As is common with coaches on Sodor, they dislike getting bumped by an engine. If they are not handled properly, they may become vindictive and punish their engine. Technical Details Basis The models of the coaches were based upon SR Maunsell coaches. They have broad windows on one side and narrow windows on the other. From the third series through to the fifth series, both long and short length variants of the Maunsell coaches were used regularly. During production of Thomas and the Magic Railroad, brand new models of the shorter variants were built. They completely replaced the original short and long variants from the third series and were used up until the twelfth series, after which the coaches were completely rendered in CGI. Since the beginning of the CGI Series, the coaches have been altered to be much taller and more slender than their previous iterations. File:TheExpressCoachesBasis.jpg|Real SR Maunsell coaches Types of designs in the Model era: File:GreenExpressCoach1.png|Composite coaches (longer variants; narrow windows 1 side only) File:GreenExpressCoach2.png|Composite coaches (longer variants; broad windows 1 side only) File:GreenExpressBrakeCoach1.png|Brake coaches (longer variants; narrow windows 1 side only) File:GreenExpressBrakeCoach2.png|Brake coaches (longer variants; broad windows 1 side only) File:GreenExpressCoach3.png|Composite coaches (shorter variants; narrow windows 1 side only) File:GreenExpressCoach4.png|Composite coaches (shorter variants; broad windows 1 side only) File:GreenExpressBrakeCoach3.png|Brake coaches (shorter variants; narrow windows 1 side only) File:GreenExpressBrakeCoach4.png|Brake coaches (shorter variants; broad windows 1 side only) File:GreenExpressCoachwithloweredbufferbeam.png|Composite coaches (longer variants; with lowered bufferbeams) Types of designs in the CGI era: File:GreenExpressCoach5.png|Composite coaches (shorter variants; broad windows both sides) File:GreenExpressBrakeCoach5.png|Brake coaches (shorter variants; broad windows both sides) Livery In the television series, the coaches all have black fronts and backs. Green Express Coaches In the first series, all of the coaches are painted dark green with cream window surrounds and grey rooftops. For the second series, longer coaches with white window surrounds and black rooftops were built. These models were supplemented by express coaches from the first series in some scenes. Some of the coaches were repainted into the cream livery used by the original first series style coaches in the third series, while others kept the white surrounds. Sometimes mixed trains with both white and cream coaches were seen, such as in the third series episode, Gordon and the Famous Visitor. Starting in Thomas and the Magic Railroad, short variants in dark green with cream window surrounds and black rooftops were introduced, replacing both the first and second series coach designs. By the sixth series, they had gained a yellow stripe running down each side. File:MainGreenExpressCoachesModel1.png|Dark green coaches with cream window surrounds File:MainGreenExpressCoachesModel2.png|Dark green coaches with white window surrounds File:MainGreenExpressCoachesCGI.png|Dark green coaches with cream window surrounds and yellow stripes File:Greenexpresscoachesredbufferbeam.jpg|Dark green coaches with cream window surrounds and red bufferbeams Red Express Coaches Red Maunsell coaches were first constructed for the second series. They were long coaches painted dark red with white window surrounds and black rooftops. Some long red Maunsell coaches used for The Royal Train gained light grey rooftops, whitewall wheels and white buffers. The short variants were introduced in the third series, painted dark red with cream window surrounds and grey roofs. These coaches have a yellow stripe running down each side and black rooftops. Alongside the short green Maunsell coaches, the short red coaches' were updated for Thomas and the Magic Railroad, phasing out both the third series style short coach design and the long coach design from the second series. File:MainRedExpressCoachesModel1.png|Dark red coaches with white window surrounds File:MainRedExpressCoachesModel2.png|Dark red coaches with cream window surrounds and yellow stripes File:RoyalTrainModel.png|The Royal Train Other coaches seen in the television series Gordon's special coaches are post-Thomas and the Magic Railroad short Maunsell coaches sporting dark blue paint, with a gold-brown stripe of paint underneath the windows and pink lining. These coaches also had white rooftops. The Chinese express coaches are painted red with yellow stripes on the side and yellow lining around the windows. File:Gordon'sSpecialCoaches.png|Gordon's special coaches File:ChineseExpressCoaches.png|Red express coaches Miscellaneous A white express coach with orange lining appeared in the magazines. A grey express coach with an orange chassis appears in the book, Thomas and the Big, Big Bridge. Edward was seen pulling dark blue and cream express coaches in the book, Ride the Rails with Thomas. Ryan and Flying Scotsman were seen pulling purple coaches with blue window surrounds in the book, The Great Race. File:WhiteExpressCoach.png|A white coach with orange lining File:GreyExpressCoaches.png|Grey express coaches File:BlueExpressCoaches2.png|Dark blue express coaches File:PurpleExpressCoaches.png|Purple express coaches with blue surrounds Appearances Television Series= , Thomas' Day Off, Thomas' New Trucks, Bold and Brave, Saving Edward and Keeping Up with James * 'Series 10' - The Green Controller, Toby's Afternoon Off, It's Good to be Gordon, Seeing the Sights, Toby's New Shed, Edward Strikes Out, Topped Off Thomas, Thomas and the Shooting Star, Big Strong Henry, Thomas' Frosty Friend, Emily and the Special Coaches, Thomas and the Colours and James the Second Best * 'Series 11' - Thomas and the Storyteller, Gordon and the Engineer, Thomas and the Lighthouse, Don't be Silly, Billy, Toby's Triumph, Thomas in Trouble and Percy and the Left Luggage * 'Series 12' - Thomas and the Billboard, Steady Eddie and Gordon Takes a Shortcut * 'Series 13' - Tickled Pink, Double Trouble, Slippy Sodor, The Early Bird, Play Time, Time for a Story, Toby's New Whistle, Splish Splash Splosh and The Biggest Present of All * 'Series 14' - Thomas' Tall Friend, Pingy Pongy Pick Up, Charlie and Eddie, Victor Says Yes, Thomas in Charge, Being Percy, Thomas and Scruff, O the Indignity * 'Series 15' - Gordon and Ferdinand, Emily and Dash, Percy's New Friends, Happy Hiro, Up, Up and Away!, Surprise, Surprise, Stuck on You, Tree Trouble and Fiery Flynn * 'Series 16' - Ol' Wheezy Wobbles, Express Coming Through, Flash Bang Wallop!, Bust My Buffers!, Thomas and the Sounds of Sodor, Sodor Surprise Day, Muddy Matters and Whiff's Wish * 'Series 17' - Scruff's Makeover, Wayward Winston, Gordon Runs Dry, Steamie Stafford, Henry's Hero, The Lost Puff, The Thomas Way, Gone Fishing and The Afternoon Tea Express * 'Series 18' - Old Reliable Edward, Signals Crossed, Toad's Adventure, Duck and the Slip Coaches, Marion and the Pipe, Spencer's VIP, Long Lost Friend, Emily Saves the World and Samson at Your Service * 'Series 19' - Who's Geoffrey?, Lost Property, Henry Spots Trouble, Slow Stephen, The Little Engine Who Raced Ahead, Thomas the Babysitter and Goodbye Fat Controller * 'Series 20' - Sidney Sings, Toby's New Friend, Henry Gets the Express, Diesel and the Ducklings, Cautious Connor, All in Vain, Henry in the Dark, Engine of the Future, Hugo and the Airship and Over the Hill * 'Series 21' - Dowager Hatt's Busy Day, Hasty Hannah, Philip's Number, The Fastest Red Engine on Sodor, A Shed for Edward, The Big Freeze, Emily in the Middle and Confused Coaches * 'Series 22' - Forever and Ever, Confusion Without Delay, What Rebecca Does, An Engine of Many Colours, School of Duck, Samson and the Fireworks, Thomas' Animal Ark, Rosie is Red, Counting on Nia and Hunt the Truck * 'Series 23' - Free the Roads, Gordon Gets the Giggles and Steam Team to the Rescue! Specials * '''2000' - Thomas and the Magic Railroad * 2005 - Calling All Engines! * 2008 - The Great Discovery * 2009 - Hero of the Rails * 2010 - Misty Island Rescue * 2013 - King of the Railway * 2014 - Tale of the Brave * 2015 - The Adventure Begins and Sodor's Legend of the Lost Treasure * 2016 - The Great Race * 2017 - Journey Beyond Sodor * 2018 - Big World! Big Adventures! }} Merchandise * Ertl Company * Wooden Railway * Motor Road and Rail * Departing Now * Thomas Engine Collection Series * TrackMaster * My First Thomas * Tomix * Choro-Q * Capsule Plarail * Pocket Fantasy * Boss * Waku Waku * Nakayoshi * De Agostini * Boss * LEGO * Wood References See Also * Express Coaches * Green Express Coaches * Red Express Coaches * Gordon's Special Coaches * The Wild Nor' Wester * Thomas' Special Coach Category:Coaches Category:North Western Railway Category:China Category:Rolling stock Category:Standard gauge Category:Female characters Category:The Main Line Category:The Mainland Category:Other railways